Corselet belts

ABSTRACT

A stomach flattening abdominal belt for ladies comprising a vertical steel in either side, interconnected by a resilient rear belt piece having an upwardly curved lower edge and a resilient front piece constituted by two intercrossing resilient bands to the middle portions of which there is fastened a substantially non-stretchable circular or elliptic fabric pie piece.

O United States Patent 1151 3,659,617 Renbo 1 May 2, 1972 541 CORSELET BELTS 1,307,503 6/1919 Leak 128/547 1,440,157 12/1922 Lawton "128/96 X 1 lnvemofl 101mm Rem, flavnen' 2,168,009 8/1939 Van Praag ..l28/547 Denmark 3,130,731 4/1964 Zdan ...128/546 X J 19 TTZnadl et a] l [21] App1.No.: 834, 73 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-J. H. Wolff Foreign Application Priority Data Attorney-Craig, Antonelli and H111 June 21, 1968 Denmark ..2950 ABSTRACT A stomach flattening abdominal belt for ladies comprising a [52] US. Cl ..128/546 vertical Steel in either Side interconneced by a resilient rear [51] Int. Cl ..A41c 1/00 be piece having an upwardly curved lower edge and a Field 0! Search -128/546-552, 96, resilient front piece constituted by two intercrossing resilient 128/171 bands to the middle portions of which there is fastened a substantially non-stretchable circular or elliptic fabric pie piece. [56] References Cited 5 Clauns, 1 Drawing Figure UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,139,656 5/1915 Finch ..128/96 Patentd May 2, 1972 INVENTOR.

J'OHANNES REA/[50 lax 4 4 i A ews.

The present invention relates to a stomach flattening corselet ware for ladies.

It is well known that suspender belts, i.e., broad or high belts provided with stocking holders, may have a flattening effect on the stomach portion of the user, whereby the pull from the stockings is utilized to hold the suspender belt in its normal position. However, this stabilizing function is not obtained when the user does not wear stockings, for example in connection with the use of slacks or so-called stocking-trousers, and if it is desired to use a stomach flattening corselet ware in such cases, it is common to instead use a stomach corselet, which is shaped as briefs in order to prevent the stomach supporting portion of the ware from gliding up along the users body. A corselet ware of this design, however, is inconvenient especially by toilet visits. An obvious solution of the problem would be a simple resilient abdominal belt corselet, but so far no such articles have been found successful, since a simple belt corselet for ladies will have a natural tendency to displace itself upwards from the correct place, especially by rolling up of the lower edge of the belt, unless the article is a real corset supporting a part of the body larger than just the stomach portion.

it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a corselet ware of the type referred to, which has a stomach flattening effect without covering more than the stomach portion and which remains in a convenient and steady position without using a pulling connection downwards, i.e., without requiring the use of stocking holders or a connecting portion under the crotch.

According to the invention the belt-shaped corselet is provided with a substantially vertical steel in both sides, whereas the front as well as the back side is shaped with increasing height from the middle portion outwards to the said steels, at least the back side being made with'a concave lower edge, while the front side has a central stomach supporting portion preferably of unelastic fabric, which is connected with each of the said steels by means of a pair of respectively upand downwardly inclined resilient bands. It has surprisingly turned out that a belt corselet of this design can remain in a steady position and flatten the stomach portion in a suitable manner, even if the user moves her body rather violently. The sidesteels used, which may consist of pieces of usual corselet steels, seem to be of great importance for ensuring that the comparatively narrow belt will ramain in the place desired, while the concave rear edge will counteract the tendency of the lower edge to roll up; the inclined resilient portions at the front side enables a free movability in the same manner as known from certain suspender belts, but the use of these portions is considered to be a condition for the practical usability of the corselet ware according to the invention.

In the following the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing which in a perspective view shows a preferred embodiment of the corselet ware according to the invention.

At its front side the belt shown has a middle rosette 2 of a substantially non-stretchable fabric serving to hold one end of a pair of upwardly inclined resilient bands 4 as well as one end of a pair of downwardly inclined resiliant bands 6 mounted behind the bands 4. The other ends of these bands, which overlap each other practically totally adjacent the rosette 2, are sewn together along a slip 8 shaped with an interior channel for receiving a corselet steel 10. The rear side of the belt consists of a single piece 12 of elastic fabric having both its top edge and its bottom edge curved concavely in approximate similarity with the contour of the upper and lower edges of the front piece. It seems to be important that at least the lower edge of the rear piece shows the said concave curving in order to prevent it from rolling up.

In unstretched condition the front piece and the rear piece are of the same size so that the belt can be packed in flat condition. Due to the presence of a partly double layer of elastic fabric at the front side, the front piece, in use, will be stretched somewhat less than the rear piece so that the steels 10 will be situated adjacent the users sides somewhat in front of the middle of the sides. Hereby the flattening effect of the front side of the belt is improved. in this position of use the steels will normally have their lower half located immediately behind the users hip bones, and it is believed that this feature is important for preventing the belt from upwards displacement.

Of course, the lower edge of the rear piece may be curved more than shown in the drawing. However, the height of the middle section of the piece will hereby be reduced in a nonfavorable manner. It would be possible, of course, to provide the belt according to the invention with stocking suspenders, but it is an outstanding feature of the belt that it may be used without such suspenders, since it may assume a well-defined and steady position independently of a pulling action in downward direction.

It is within the scope of the invention to let each of the elastic bands 4 at the front side be integral with the lower bands 6 in the respective opposite sides, i.e., to let the front side consist of two intercrossing bands having the rosette 2 fastened thereto.

The relative small height of the belt and its location above the broadest area of the user's body makes the belt incomparable to usual suspender belts. Practice has shown that in order to obtain optimal stability and comfort the breadth of the elastic bands 4 and 6 should preferably be 6-10 cm, optimally 7-8.5 cm. Thus, the maximal height of the belt should be 10-20 cm.

What is claimed is: I

1. A stomach flattening corselet device for use by a person, said device being shaped as a resilient belt having front and rear portions separated by two substantially vertical relatively rigid support members attached to the respective ends of said front and rear portions, said belt being positionable around the persons midsection such that the vertical centerline of said front portion is in substantial alignment with the persons navel while the vertical centerline of said rear portion is in substantial alignment with the small of the back of the person, the rear portion of the belt including a concavely curved upper and lower edge whereby the minimum vertical height of the rear portion is through its vertical centerline and the maximum vertical height of the rear portion is at its ends where it is attached to the support member, this concavely curved configuration being effective to prevent upward rolling of the belt material, the front portion of the belt including a central supporting piece of substantially non-resilient material from each side of which there extends a pair of resilient bands, each pair of bands including one band extending in an upwardly inclined direction toward one of said support members and another band extending in a downwardly inclined direction toward the same support member, and wherein the length of said front and rear portions is substantially identical when the belt is in the unstretched condition whereby in use the support members are symmetrically positioned slightly forward of the middle of the respective sides of the person.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said rear portion consists of a single layer of resilient material approximately similar to the material used in the resilient bands of the front side.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said supporting piece is shaped as a rosette having curved edges secured by stitching to said resilient bands.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each of said pair of bands have their end edges adjacent said support member in vertical alignment with each other with no overlapping and their end edges adjacent the sides of the supporting piece overlapping each other to a substantial degree.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the front portion is widest where it is attached to the support members and narrowest at its vertical centerline. 

1. A stomach flattening corselet device for use by a person, said device being shaped as a resilient belt having front and rear portions separated by two substantially vertical relatively rigid support members attached to the respective ends of said front and rear portions, said belt being positionable around the person''s midsection such that the vertical centerline of said front portion is in substantial alignment with the person''s navel while the vertical centerline of said rear portion is in substantial alignment with the small of the back of the person, the rear portion of the belt including a concavely curved upper and lower edge whereby the minimum vertical height of the rear portion is through its vertical centerline and the maximum vertical height of the rear portion is at its ends where it is attached to the support member, this concavely curved configuration being effective to prevent upward rolling of the belt material, the front portion of the belt including a central supporting piece of substantially non-resilient material from each side of which there extends a pair of resilient bands, each pair of bands including one band extending in an upwardly inclined direction toward one of said supPort members and another band extending in a downwardly inclined direction toward the same support member, and wherein the length of said front and rear portions is substantially identical when the belt is in the unstretched condition whereby in use the support members are symmetrically positioned slightly forward of the middle of the respective sides of the person.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said rear portion consists of a single layer of resilient material approximately similar to the material used in the resilient bands of the front side.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said supporting piece is shaped as a rosette having curved edges secured by stitching to said resilient bands.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each of said pair of bands have their end edges adjacent said support member in vertical alignment with each other with no overlapping and their end edges adjacent the sides of the supporting piece overlapping each other to a substantial degree.
 5. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the front portion is widest where it is attached to the support members and narrowest at its vertical centerline. 